Sometimes truth is stranger than fiction

Stephen Chernin / APSilda Spitzer looks on as her husband Eliot resigns his position as New York's governor.

I know, this is an American Idol blog, but I can't resist adding my two cents on the whole Eliot Spitzer mess. Forgive me for straying from my area of expertise, but sometimes real life events surpass even the most audacious of events we see on a reality TV show.

A week ago, who would have imagined that come March 17, we'd be witnessing the swearing in of a new governor in the wake of the resignation of "Mr. Clean" after allegations of his dirty little secret made international news?

How many of us even knew the name of the state's second in command, let alone that this person is a black man with visual impairment? A week ago we'd never heard of Ashley Dupre and had no inclination that our governor was (allegedly) a regular customer of a pricey prostitution ring.

Spitzer's fall from grace was shocking in that it flew in the face of what we believed were his own high standards of morality. Here's a man who prosecuted the very same people with whom he found himself associating and in the process, severely wounded his family and destroyed a promising career. No matter what the legal ramifications, there's no coming back for Eliot Spitzer.

Watching these events unfold, I couldn't help but wonder how he even began the conversation with his wife. Her pain and humiliation were etched on her face, and I wonder if she can ever recover. And don't even get me started on what this has done to his daughters. The damage done to these women will last a lifetime and for that, he can never be forgiven. Spitzer has to live with this for the rest of his life, and no punishment that he can receive can surpass that guilt in severity.

What have we learned from all of this? We need to remember that people in public office are human and subject to the same temptations to which so many of us fall prey. No one is above the law and no matter how wily a person may be, what goes around almost always comes around. Karma's a bitch that's for sure. Spitzer's arrogance in office and hard-charging attitude make his fall even more stunning.

My initial reaction was utter disappointment. I felt the same way I did when I learned there was no Santa Claus! Then I felt anger, bordering on rage. As more of the story was revealed, I felt revulsion. A week later, it's still hard for me to wrap my mind around all of this.

The good news is that I am very impressed by what I've seen so far from David Paterson (watch his press conference here). The fact that he is legally blind and has been able to accomplish what he has, including going to law school, is a good indication of his determination and intelligence.

I have no doubt that this story will only get uglier, but at least we have someone in charge who seems, on the surface at least, to be a decent and honorable man. Coming into office, Paterson seems to be on top of everything that's going on and ready to get to work. It's a role he certainly didn't expect to assume, however, and I hope the press and state residents will allow him some time to acclimate. I wish him well as he embarks on this challenge.